Saturday, January 26, 2013

Bob is my proposed new mandatory vehicle safety equipment. This $35 device will help prevent the vehicle from careening out of control, weaving into oncoming traffic, ignoring traffic laws, and killing or maiming innocent people. Bob is short for Breathalyzer On Board. I'm thinking a mandatory Bob law would save lots of lives. No one would ever again be able to claim, "I didn't know I was legally drunk". If someone has a Bob, and they need to drive, the vision is that they will blow into the Bob to get their blood alcohol level (BAL). If their blood alcohol level is 0.10 for instance, they will know they can sit in their car, listen to music, whatever, for half hour while their BAL drifts back into the legal (less than 0.08) range.

Update Feb 4, 2012: I want to make sure it's clear that I'm not suggesting that a cop gives everyone a breathalyzer test when they make a traffic stop. My proposal is only that the cop requires the driver to display their Bob to make sure this safety equipment is present. If the stop is for suspicion of DUI, the cop would still require positive Bob display but would use his/her own breathalyzer for the DUI test.

The devices start at only $35. I bought a high-end Breathalyzer at $140, the same one used by many police departments.

I'm wondering about the pros and cons of a potential Bob law so I'm hoping my 7 blog readers will respond with their ideas.

For those of you who do not know how Breathalyzer's work, You simply blow into a little tube and the device displays your your blood alcohol level. Once you know your BAL, you will know whether you are legally drunk. This can save you from a possible DUI stop and a lot worse for yourself and others. For instance, if your BAL is 0.10, that is only 2 ticks into legally drunk. You can sit in your car, listen to music, or whatever for half hour then try another BAL reading. When your BAL is below 0.08, you can drive without fear of getting a DUI and you'll be safer to yourself and everyone!

Thank you!

NIH: Today alcohol is involved in 37% of all traffic deaths among persons aged 16 to 20
CDC: Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver.
DOT:
In 2010, 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. These
alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities accounted for 31 percent of the total motor
vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States.